clasp - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

A bracelet is held together by a clasp. A girl who gets a nice one from her boyfriend might clasp her arms around him. A clasp is a fastener. To clasp is to hold tightly.

In all uses of the word, clasp means to hold together tightly. You want your bracelet or belt clasp to be strong so it doesn't come apart. And when you take a child on a walk across a busy intersection, you clasp their hand tightly. The word is not related to the word clap, but if you clap your hands together, then keep them there, you turn a clap to a clasp.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: clasp

1	v n	hold firmly and tightly the act of grasping
2	n v	a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together fasten with a buckle or buckles

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: clasp

1

v hold firmly and tightly

Antonyms:: unclasp
release from a clasp

Types:: show 4 types...; hide 4 types...; bosom, embrace, hug, squeeze
squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness; clinch
embrace amorously; cuddle
hold (a person or thing) close, as for affection, comfort, or warmth; interlock, lock
become engaged or intermeshed with one another

Type of:: grasp, hold on
hold firmly

v grasp firmly

“The child clasped my hands”

Antonyms:: unclasp
release from a clasp

Type of:: clutch, prehend, seize
take hold of; grab

n the act of grasping

“he released his clasp on my arm”

Synonyms:: clench, clutch, clutches, grasp, grip, hold

Types:: show 12 types...; hide 12 types...; choke hold, chokehold
a restraining hold; someone loops the arm around the neck of another person in a tight grip, usually from behind; embrace, embracement, embracing
the act of clasping another person in the arms (as in greeting or affection); wrestling hold
a hold used in the sport of wrestling; cuddle, nestle, snuggle
a close and affectionate (and often prolonged) embrace; clinch, hug, squeeze
a tight or amorous embrace; bear hug
a wrestling hold with arms locked tightly around the opponent; nelson
any of several wrestling holds in which an arm is passed under the opponent's arm from behind and the hand exerts pressure on the back of the neck; Japanese stranglehold
a wrestling hold in which the opponent's arms are crossed in front of his own neck to exert pressure on his windpipe; lock
any wrestling hold in which some part of the opponent's body is twisted or pressured; scissor grip, scissor hold, scissors, scissors grip, scissors hold
a wrestling hold in which you wrap your legs around the opponents body or head and put your feet together and squeeze; stranglehold
a wrestling hold in which the arms are pressed against the opponent's windpipe; toehold
a wrestling hold in which the toe is held and the leg is twisted against the joints

Type of:: grasping, prehension, seizing, taking hold
the act of gripping something firmly with the hands (or the tentacles)

2

n a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together

Type of:: fastener, fastening, fixing, holdfast
restraint that attaches to something or holds something in place

v fasten with a buckle or buckles

Synonyms:: buckle

Antonyms:: unbuckle
undo the buckle of

Type of:: fasten, fix, secure
cause to be firmly attached

v fasten with or as if with a brooch

Synonyms:: brooch

Type of:: fasten, fix, secure
cause to be firmly attached